The present invention relates generally to compositions of matter, apparatuses and methods useful in detecting, identifying, and measuring one or more surfactants in a fluid.
Surfactants are compounds that lower the surface tension in a liquid, lower the interracial tension between two liquid phases in contact with each other in a medium, and/or lower the interfacial tension between a liquid and a solid. Surfactants are amphophilic meaning they contain both hydrophobic groups and hydrophilic groups. This amphophilic character allows surfactants to diffuse in a liquid medium and adsorb at an interphase where two different degrees of hydrophobicity meet. The structure of the surfactant determines how it becomes positioned at the interface and this in turn determines how the surfactant affects the tension at the interface. As a result surfactants are commonly used in environments in which both an aqueous and an organic phase are present.
Surfactants are often polymers and often comprise organic structures. Surfactants often can also function as detergents, wetting agents, emulsifiers, foaming agents, and dispersants. Examples of surfactant compositions include but are not limited to compositions having a net nonionic charge such as those containing alkyl polyglucosides, branched secondary alcohol ethoxylates, ethyl oxide-propyl oxide copolymers (EO-PO), nonphenol ethoxylates, octyphenol ethoxylates, secondary alcohol ethoxylates, siloxanes, and any combination thereof. Some surfactants compositions include net anionic charged compositions such as those containing alkyldiphenyloxide disulfonate salts, dioctyl sulfosuccinates, phosphate esters, sulfates, sulfonates, and any combination thereof.
Surfactants are often used to modulate the interaction between two or more materials existing in one of two or more phases in a medium. As a result it is important to know exactly how much and what kind of surfactant is actually present in a given medium. Too much or too little surfactant may result in too intense or too weak an interaction and can result in undesirable reaction dynamics. Because the dynamic state of many reactions vary, it is difficult to predict how surfactants are consumed or decompose in chemical processes. As a result, even if one knows precisely how much of a given surfactant was previously added to a medium, the exact amount remaining at a given time is not readily discernable.
Thus it is clear that there is definite utility in novel methods and compositions for the proper detection, identification, and measurement of surfactants in a fluid. The art described in this section is not intended to constitute an admission that any patent, publication or other information referred to herein is “Prior Art” with respect to this invention, unless specifically designated as such. In addition, this section should not be construed to mean that a search has been made or that no other pertinent information as defined in 37 CFR §1.56(a) exists.